


flower dream

by prosodiical



Category: Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri
Genre: Ambiguous Relationships, F/F, Gen, Yuletide 2011, Yuletide Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-24
Updated: 2011-12-24
Packaged: 2017-10-28 01:19:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/302149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prosodiical/pseuds/prosodiical
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>earthdeirdre names us 'voice'.</p><p>[we listen, and we start to finally understand.]</p>
            </blockquote>





	flower dream

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rho](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rho/gifts).



earthdeirdre names us 'voice'.

before, we are simply us; mind and flower and animal and worm. earthdeirdre offers identity; voice is us and stranger is earthpeople. earthplants join us and become us, earthflower and earthwheat and earthtree, but earthpeople -

earthpeople strangers break flower dream, bring pain and aches and stop joy.

so voice we are and when speak we to earthdeirdre, some strangers listen and stop condensors, boreholes, mines. still they hurt we, but earthdeirdre thinks, 'do not hurt them,' and we try, because we understand pain and we do not want to bring earthdeirdre hurt.

but earthothers still hurt we. earthmiriam and earthyang we talk, but strangers do not listen. earthdeirdre says, "They have done nothing wrong," but they hurt us more and we do not like pain. surely their togetherthink can be broken! us flowers must die for us worms to live, and so earthdeirdre should make these earthothers die to stop hurting we.

earthdeirdre says wait. earthdeirdre holds gathering and speaks to them instead of togetherthink, so maybe it is broken already. but we hurt and we wait because earthdeirdre is our friend and we do not want her to hurt; they talk and then earthothers leave. only, earthsantiago stops and waits until earthothers are left, and then earthsantiago togetherthinks with earthdeirdre, for it must be when they twine together like wormboils and do not speak.

we brushed over earthsantiago, who does not hurt we like earthmiriam, earthyang, just as we brushed over earthmorgan, earthzakharov. but if earthsantiago is togetherthink with earthdeirdre, we should learn her as we learn earthdeirdre. so we visit her dreams.

earthsantiago.

earthsantiago is flesh in dream as in life, lies on we but does not hurt we, and enjoys growthbloom like earthdeirdre. earthsantiago speaks, "You must be what Deirdre calls Voice."

togetherthink you! joyous we are; understand you culling of earthmiriam, earthyang? strangers destroy flower, worm, speed inevitable growth dream.

earthsantiago bares teeth. we understand earthpeople express delight how and delight we share. "I understand, yes. Now, what is this growth dream?"

earthdeirdre we warned. growth dream: death of animal us, death of animal you. unstoppable, inevitable.

"You hadn't explained to Deirdre what it was. Can it be slowed?"

destruction of us speeds growth dream, pain. slow we growth dream with flower and mind. togetherthink you and earthdeirdre, can cull you earthothers who hurt we? we do not want earthdeirdre pain.

"How sweet." earthsantiago plans, decides. earthdeirdre picture-thinks, earthsantiago number-thinks, but there is togetherthink between. "I and my people will not attack your worms unless they attack us. I will deal with Miriam and Yang, and I will not destroy your flowers. Will you slow this growth dream?"

slowing of growth dream little effort when no pain we. help your culling, can we?

"Unwise," earthsantiago speaks. "Perhaps you should learn more of our culture instead; I can spare some of Miriam's people. Deirdre likes poetry."

agree, we shall learn and slow growth dream, earthsantiago and earthdeirdre, while destroy you earthothers who hurt we.

we leave dream and earthsantiago gives worms earthothers so we may take knowledge and learn. we learn poetry for friend earthdeirdre. hurt stops and earthsantiago gives dead earthmiriam and earthyang to flowers, and like we earthsantiago too.

"Really, Voice," earthdeirdre speaks, when poetry we tell.

does earthdeirdre not want? earthsantiago told we poetry learn.

"Oh, Corazon." earthdeirdre opens her mouth, makes sounds called 'laugh'. learning, we. "I think you might need more practice, Voice. One does not become a poet overnight."

more than a night, we learned, more than a year; more than ten years, thinks we. earthdeirdre speaks riddles.

earthdeirdre has 'smile', joy. we want earthdeirdre joyful forever. "You're learning so much."

earthdeirdre will die in growth dream. growth dream soon, even slowed we. earthdeirdre -

"Don't worry," earthdeirdre speaks, "we have a plan. It will be ready soon. Practice your poetry, I enjoy it."

so practice we. poetry we share with earthsantiago, offers pointers to we, allows practice we. earthsantiago meets with earthdeirdre and they spend much time togetherthink, plan for growth dream hope we.

we take them into dreams so talk we, and togetherthink they, but also speak. earthpeople like speak, we understand.

earthsantiago makes earthdeirdre smile, but frown also. we understand not. we ask: earthdeirdre, why happiness? why sadness?

earthdeirdre speaks, "It's part of being human, Voice. We do not always agree, but we can still enjoy each others' company."

says something quiet, earthsantiago. earthdeirdre is happy and maybe-sad, and want we to know. want we understanding. want we – acceptance by earthpeople, friendship. we want...

"How about," earthsantiago speaks, "your mindworms, the ones who have gone mad, who attack other worms. What do you feel for them?"

mind is us. we is mind. thought we so deeply never before, earthsantiago. we cull defect parts, kill madworms, feel - we feel -

"Yes." earthsantiago is smile, not quite happiness. "And how did you feel about - say, Miriam? You remember her, no?"

vague impression. earthmiriam loud noises made when we speak to her. did not listen, hurt us. feel we - wanted death to her, so earthmiriam could not hurt.

"Anger," earthsantiago speaks, "is what we call that. But Miriam and the mad worms are nearly the same. They hurt you in the same ways, yet - "

earthdeirdre is - anger? earthdeirdre furrows eyebrows, frowns but has little sadness. "Corazon, stop this."

but we want understanding. we want – we want much now, want to stop growth dream and save earthdeirdre and earthsantiago. we want to poetry write, poetry learn.

so, we consider. madworms hurt and eat worms, flowers they should not. hurt is not same as earthmiriam, who built condensers, boreholes, mines, farms; permanent change so flowers could not grow. but worms were once part of we, and earthmiriam is stranger, other. we feel anger for earthmiriam, and sadness and anger for madworms, and these are not the same. we feel - many things, though we are only us, as earthdeidre and earthsantiago are only they. maybe, we understand.

“Oh,” earthdeirdre speaks. earthdeirdre is not frowning, not smiling, happiness and sadness together. “Voice. I – I think we should tell you about our project.”

earthdeirdre togetherthinks with earthsantiago. earthpeople, both, and we feel happiness and want them to feel happiness. earthsantiago has happiness, and some angriness, and we understand better now. earthpeople feel many things, think many thoughts; we start to feel and understand too.

earthdeirdre's speaking soothes us. “You see, Voice, our technology has improved to the state where…”

earthsantiago has a smile, joy and welcome. her flesh-body in dream is close to earthdeirdre's. we listen, and we start to finally understand.


End file.
